Date Day

Date night. Every married couple knows that should be a priority...but it's hard to make happen. (Work schedules, packed calendars, babysitter conflicts, etc. etc. etc.) And then even if you can get out for a bit, it's usually an hour or two in the evening, which may or may not be your best time to connect (soooooo tired). I'm always thankful for time alone with Dustin, but I don't necessarily love the options date night affords us. It feels like it always has to be squeezed into the two hours after the kids' bedtime (and before it gets crazy late for a sitter), or we go out earlier and I feel like we're over-burdening someone with the task of watching all three gila monsters during the witching hours. And never mind that the expense of a babysitter pretty much doubles the cost of whatever date activity we choose (which- tragically unoriginal alert- is usually just dinner). (OR we feel bad about taking advantage of free babysitting again from my family, even though they swear they don't mind).  Plus there's the guilt of missing time with the kiddos, when we're already away from them the bulk of most days. So yeah. Love a date night. Don't always manage to make it happen.

But we do try to squeeze in time here and there and take advantage of what we have, so during a (rare) impromptu lunch together the other day, we decided we should take a day off, randomly, just the two of us. We've got the time to spare at work, and with Piper back at daycare with the other kids for the Summer, we've got all-day care already lined up (and paid for!) So last Friday, we took advantage of the most expensive "free" babysitting we'll ever have, and had a Date Day. Just one day; just the two of us. No plans; no kids. (And no burden, no guilt.)

53/100: Today we dropped the kids off at school...and then...DIDN'T go to work. Yep- we took a day off, took advantage of the childcare, and had a date day. The whole day, just the two of us, no plans, no obligations, no email, no children. We shopped, played mini-golf, hit up the batting cages, had a patio lunch (with 🍻!), went disc golfing, got ice cream, tackled a few projects....talking and laughing all the while. Parenthood takes a lot, and it can easily take over, so it is so important to me to prioritize the one I've loved since long before the little loves arrived.

A post shared by Show Your Real (@show_your_real) on May 26, 2017 at 7:53pm PDT

While a big-time date is pretty rare around here...documenting it is even more rare. I don't suspect many will care about the ins and outs of our simple day together...but I know I'll cherish being able to look back at the ordinary magic of our life in this season. So I'm making the time to date that man I love, and taking the time to record a little bit of why it's so special to me.

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We wanted to make the most of our day together, so we got the kids up, fed, and off to daycare around our regular time in the morning. 8:30AM still seemed a little early to start a date, so I took advantage of some solo time while Dustin did drop off, and took a shower without anyone watching/tattletaling on someone/opening the shower door to have me "fix" Barbie's shoe. Similarly, Dustin enjoyed a quick trip to Home Depot, that was both actually quick and sans any sort of shrieking or injury. Date Day hadn't officially started, and it was already my favorite day.

Now on to the heart of the matter...

First up: Bikes!
Kidding. Never.
But a certain 3.95 year old I know is looking a little bit like a circus bear on her tricycle, so a new birthday bicycle gift was in order for Fin. We hit up Once Upon A Child (aka: my happy place) for a new-to-her gem. It has streamers, a carrier for a baby, and a bell. $25 well spent.
(and yes, I realize it's a little lame to spend date-day shopping for our kids, but we kept the trip short, and it was such a specialize mission it didn't feel like we were wasting our time together running routine errands).

So, the day was already a wild success, and it was only 10am. Yes!

The night before, I had done a last minute search for local Groupons, and found that the mini-golf place we planned to go to (because you know we were going to play some mini-golf) had a deal for buy-one-get-one free golf plus 10 rounds batting cage tokens. So though I haven't swung a bat in 10+ years (maybe 20+?) we gave it a shot. I stuck to softball and "slow baseball" (dang elementary school kids, hogging the "very slow" option), while Dustin handled "medium". We were in no danger of anyone scouting us, but it was fun change of pace to try something different together.

Next it was on to the main event...Mini-golf is hands down my favorite date activity, day or night. It's silly, competitive, and just super fun. The course was actually a little crowded (first day of Summer vacay for local kids) which worked out great...we got to enjoy some extra sunshine, and had time to talk (in between golf related trash-talk, of course). We chatted about all kinds of things, but ended up talking a lot about plans (and wild visions) we have for our family in the future. So thankful for a man I can play with a dream with, simultaneously.

Photographic evidence we were tied at the turn...I'm not sure who ended up winning. (except I'm totally sure, and I don't want to talk about it). 

It was barely lunch time (thanks for the early wakeup, kids!) but who's stopping us from finding a nearby spot for some pre-noon beers (and burgers)? No one, that's who. We hit up the new Northstar, and ate super slow, and didn't have to cut up, wipe up, or blow on anything. Glorious.
I'd be lying if I said we didn't talk about work...because actually I think we spent nearly the entire meal discussing that. But what a gift to have someone who understands the 9-5...This is the second time we've worked together, and I honestly cherish the shared perspective it gives us. (Plus there is no way he'd endure nearly as much of my complaining if he wasn't in similar trenches).

We headed home after that (mostly to change into looser pants...still not sorry about all the guac.) But on our way, I of course spotted a little curb-side gem we had to snag. Ain't no shame in my trash picking game (seriously...Dustin wishes there was any shame in it. But alas. There is none). Only issue? The shelf I spotted was far too big for our car (even if we didn't have a bike with us already...) So with no words, and a mercifully subtle eye-roll, Dustin hopped out, picked it up, and walked the two blocks home.

This guy is the muscle to my hustle all day every day. This is him requesting that I not document this shenanigans. But the world needs to know how much he loves me (and how much I love him for it).

And with our second second-hand score of the day in the bag, it was time for more golf...this time of the disc variety.

We made a quick stop at Play-It-Again Sports (it turns out the unofficial theme of the day is bargain fun!) for some cheap drivers and putters (chosen solely based on their ridiculous graphics), and then headed out for the course.

I pretty much haven't played since high school (I actually used to play pretty frequently back then...not because I was great at it, or tremendously passionate about the sport. But my friends were super into it, so I was happy enough to go along for the ride) and I think Dustin and I have only played once or twice together, if that.

We went to a course I've never tried before, and it was seriously magical. And not just in a sappy "I love my date" way...I mean the forest actually looked enchanted.

It was the most perfect weather ever, and we had a blast hiking around for an hour or so, trying our best to keep our new discs out of the water (and taking awkwardly balanced self-timer shots). At this point we honestly didn't really talk much...which is probably (ok, definitely) rare for me. But it's a special kind of comfortable to just enjoy each other...just being.
(side note: I feel a little hind-sight dorkiness about our semi-matching/semi-competing Ohio State and Eagles gear.)

He didn't let me win, but gave me credit where it was due, and I only ended up owing him two wager related backrubs for the day. Sooooo, could have been worse.

And since we were just a few minutes from my fave ice cream place, we had to make a stop at Sticky Fingers. (I didn't even have to ask for eyes. Love that).

By now it was late afternoon and we had our fill of sun and games. Typically I'd try to carve out time for a nap...either out of necessity, or just on principle, but maybe keeping up with three kids has upped my endurance, because at this point I still felt...pretty rested. (We did lounge for a few minutes and have the obligatory "what in the world did we do before we had kids?...But like, really?...Whatever we wanted?....Like, all day?..." conversation. It's only been a few years, but still, I can barely remember the rhythm of full days without children.) We had a little time before we needed to fetch the whippersnappers, so I set out to tackle an art project that had been looming/lagging in our garage for a few days (or weeks? hard to say...) Having some uninterrupted work time? Priceless.

And just like that...our Date Day drew to a close (and the typical manic merry-go-round of dinnertime/playtime/bathtime/bedtime resumed). One day wasn't enough (could never be enough) but it was still so much. It may need to become a regular occurrence. We may not be able to get a full day away very often, but early-out "Summer Fridays" could afford us a couple of hours alone each week...Don't mind if we do. 

Friday afternoons with this guy are my new fav tradition. Second week in a row playing disc golf, we're practically pros. #fourrrr #bowdensinlove

A post shared by Courtney Bowden (@bowdenisms) on Jun 2, 2017 at 3:10pm PDT

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Brewer's Ball

 Quick- what are my three favorite things in life?

1. Dustin
2. Beer
3. Helping others

Ok...maybe those aren't my exact top three, but I do love those things an awful lot. So when Dustin and I got the opportunity to attend a beer tasting event to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, we didn't hesitate.

We got gussied up in our finest "cocktail attire" (turns out its been a while since the two of us had to look presentable. The day of the event we still hadn't figured out our wardrobes. Dustin was worried about his suit fitting...and I had to use my lunch hour to do some speed shopping) and left Piper with her two new best friends (aka our good friends that graciously agreed to babysit. Holla, Craig and Katie!)

See? Even after a full day of work, and a whirlwind of childcare

and baby handoff, we still manage to look somewhat presentable!

The event was held in a large ballroom type space, that was set up with tables around the perimeter- each one representing a different local pub or brewery. There probably hundreds of beers on tap, as well as some fancy bottled options, and even a few ciders. We happily accepted our tasting glasses and started making the rounds.

 

 Dustin found a hometown fav.

And I found out I could double fist with no shame. 

We got to know this guy pretty well...

And of course we had to snap a pic for our girl...

If all that beer wasn't enough, there was also a good bit of food there, which was a welcome treat, as I'm not sure I would have made it through all that drinking without a pretzel or two as a base. Fortunately the offerings were a bit more varied than that though, and we got our fill of some delicious sandwiches, some soup that I may have to buy stock in (if only I wasn't too buzzed to remember the name of the restaurant serving it) and of course, some yummy cheeses.

I'm thankful there is only photographic evidence of the first time we hit up 

the braised beef and pork belly slider bar.

 

Oh...and then a  pic of that time we ate chased our fancy sliders 

with cheeseburger sliders.Classy AND yummy.

Tiny glass, tiny plate, tiny pickle!

  And tiny container of cheese? Yes, I'll have several, thank you.

But it wasn't all belly-bustin' and boozin'. Midway through the evening, they showed a video about CF, and a local guy talked about his personal battle with the disease. I teared up a bit as he told his story, and was reminded how blessed we are to have each other, and a beautiful healthy daughter. Celebrating the gift of life and fighting to find a cure to CF? I'll most definitely drink to that.

Date Night

It's been a while since we've been on a date...two months in fact. Sure, since then we've spent a ton of time together, and we've done a ton of things. We've been out to eat, visited the zoo, taken walks, attended a Penguins game, gone shopping...but all of that involved a tiny tagalong. So while we've had fun, I wouldn't necessarily say our lives are overflowing with romance. And though our monthly goals have moved on, I'm still tied to our tradition from December that encouraged us to prioritize time with each other. Don't get me wrong...family time is great, and an evening on the couch with a movie can be fun...but every once in a while you need to get out, sans kid, for a special husband-and-wife night on the town.

So when my mom called out of the blue to say she wanted to come for the weekend and watch Piper so we could go out...I just couldn't say no.

We didn't have any special plans, but we couldn't squander the chance at a night of childfree fun! We debated what to do...out options were pretty much limitless, but our goal was to take advantage of the evening and plan an outing that we couldn't do with Piper in tow. I mean, she's a great companion most of the time, but she doesn't exactly appreciate things like fine dining or adult conversation.

We figured dinner out was a no brainer, but we wanted to do it up right, and make a night of it with another activity. We thought about seeing a movie (she's definitely not a fan of being quiet for two hours at a time), but there weren't any compelling options. We considered bowling (she might not hate it, but I can't imagine a more disgusting place to bring a baby than a bowling alley), but the weather was so beautiful out, it seemed like a shame to waste the evening indoors. So after some hemming and hawing, we eventually we settled on an old standby- miniature golf!

Once the plans had finally been made, we were excited to go, but a little hesitant to leave Piper for the evening. We knew she'd be in good hands, but it's hard not to feel guilty for leaving her, or like we're burdening whoever is watching her. Dustin felt the worst...he suggested we just go somewhere quick for dinner so we could get back, but my mom assured me that they truly wanted to be with her, and that we should relax, have fun and not hurry home. So we prepared a bottle, layed out some jammies, and hightailed it out of there before any of us could change our minds.

And from the minute we got in the car...we just had a blast. I thought we might have to make a "no Piper" clause to keep our date from devolving into a night of baby-talk, but honestly, we barely mentioned her. We were having too much fun to worry much about how the rest of the family was doing! We laughed and joked, made wagers on the game, and just really enjoyed a chance to relax and be together without any sort of caretaking, schedules or practical concerns to get in the way.

Somehow, after some fierce competition, we ended up tying. What are the odds?!

For dinner, we decided to check out a place several people had recommended for my birthday dinner- Willow. Apparently hitting tiny colored balls around for an hour caused us to work up quite the appetites, because we pretty much ordered the entire menu. In our defense, a lot of the choices were "small plates", so I got a couple of those instead of a real entree, but still...we put a hurtin' on some food:

Clockwise from top left: olive oil and parmesean for dipping; the wedge- baby iceberg, candied bacon, scotch egg, blue cheese dressing, berry compote, grape tomatoes; gnudi- seared ricotta dumplings, veal meatballs, sauteed escarole, sauce bolognese; double cut barbeque pork chop- beer brined bone-in pork chop, grilled with homemade bbq sauce sharp cheddar polenta, collard greens, crispy onion straws; seared scallops and korean pork-seared sea scallops, korean bbq pork belly, miso caramel, marinated shitake mushrooms; grown up mac & cheese- orecchiette pasta, braised short rib, caramelized onions, spinach, brie cream sauce baked with herbed bread crumbs.

Yes, the food was fabulous (I mean, really fabulous). But I think the best part was allowing ourselves to get a few courses, to drink, to talk, to take our time. So many of our meals now are hurriedly eaten while Piper naps, or wolfed down before she gets tired of sitting in her bumbo, or eaten one handed while trying to soothe and/or entertain a cranky baby. To sit next to one another for over an hour, with nothing else to do, and no where else to go, was possibly the most delicious part of all.

Sorry Piper. You are greatly loved, but you weren't terribly missed.

It was a simple evening, but such a wonderful chance to connect with each other. We may have a house, and a baby, and responsibilities, and stress, and wrinkles....But on the inside we're not that far off from the silly kids we were when we met almost nine years ago. I'm still happy to date Dustin, and hope he feels the same way...forever.

12 Dates of Christmas- Recap

Dustin and I had the ambitious goal of going on twelve dates through the holiday season...And we did it!

Mostly...

Kinda...

...If you expand the definition of the word "date" to include any time Dustin and I are together with fewer than 4 other people present. Bonus points for leaving the house!

I'm kidding, a little. Sure, the ideal goal would be "real dates"- a night out with only the two of us, a fancy dinner, and maybe a movie, or some other fun activity. But with a newborn around, and a hectic holiday schedule, we had to be a little more flexible. So we did our best to prioritize time together, whenever, wherever, and however we could. Here's the official rundown (with a few grainy iphone pics for good measure):

1: Kroger run
A trip to the grocery store may not be your idea of a date, but as it was our first outing sans baby, it totally counts. Dustin and I got a little stir-crazy the weekend of Thanksgiving, so we took advantage of being at my parents house and bailed on the little one for a quick shopping trip. Not the most glamorous activity, but after three weeks with a baby carrier constantly in tow, it was refreshing to get out as a couple. Dustin even humored my request to pose with the Yuengling display (now available in OH-IO!) And afterwards we stopped at Burger King for frozen Cokes. If that's not a quality date ingredient, I don't know what is.



2: Shopping & Sonic
After our wild first date, we wanted to keep the streak alive, so we headed out to Motherhood Maternity, to pick up some nursing attire! So again, before the baby, I wouldn't count this as date (ok, before the baby, I wouldn't go there, date or no date) but since it was just the two of us, and Dustin was so sweet to go on such a lame errand with me, I'm counting it. Plus- we went to Sonic on the way home to stuff our faces with yummy burgers, cheesy tots and strawberry limeaids. I hate to make food the sole date-qualifier, but let's face it...we do love to eat. I'll try to overlook the fact that we were held to a strict timeline due to Piper's eating schedule, which forced us to get our food to go, and hurry home. The brightside is Dustin was able to support me during an emotional outing (no one likes clothes shopping 3 weeks postpartum, right?) and we had a bit of time just the two of us, during what was otherwise a very baby and family intensive weekend.

3: Qdoba lunch
Our offices are near (in my case directly above) a Qdoba, so Dustin and I have shared quite a few lunches there over the past few years. During the end of my pregnancy, as I got a bit more needy (for attention, and queso) we were going almost every week- usually for $1 Taco Tuesdays! Now that I'm on maternity leave, Piper and I occasionally get out to meet him for lunch, and Q is typically still our spot of choice. We've been a few times now, but the first "date" here was right after Piper's one month doctor appointment. We probably broke all the date rules by talking about our daughter the whole time, but it was still a milestone for us. It was our first workday lunch as a family (though she slept the whole time), and gave us a glimpse into the possibility that we could have a baby totally rock our world, but still keep one or two routines from our "old" life too.

4: Chick-fil-A dinner
Are you tired of the fast food yet? We weren't! So I met Dustin after work one night for a romantic (ok, not really) meal. Again Piper slept, so we were able to enjoy our waffle fries in peace while we talked about Christmas plans. There might not have been candlelight, but there were poinsettias! Oh, the ambiance.


5: Michael's Pizza
One Friday, Piper and were checking out a yoga studio near Dustin's office, so we took the opportunity to meet him for a post workout lunch. We were all Q'd out, so we mixed it up and went to a local pizza joint. We got to discuss Dustin's job a bit, which was a nice change from all the diaper talk we've been doing lately. Any chance we get to have a non-parenting centered conversation is a good thing. And if it involves pizza, all the better.

6: Sample Sale & Sushi
One of the big perks of working in retail is the discount, but even better than that, is the annual sample sale, where we can score sweet deals on clothes...and this one was right before Christmas, so it was the perfect time for us to get some last minute shopping done. And the extra bonus is that it fell on a night that a restaurant near our warehouse offers half price sushi. So we decided to make a evening of it. We shopped our hearts out, which we actually ended up having to do separately...apparently the company doesn't feel too safe about letting an infant hang out around the conveyor belts and loading docks...weird, I know. So we took turns watching Piper, which cut into our date night plans a bit...but we made up for it by eating a crazy amount of sushi. And sipping out of our straws all fancy-like. You know, like you do on a date.


7: Panera & the mall
After our first morning back at church (yes, it took us a full six weeks or so to get back in the groove...I'm pretty sure God understands) we headed out for a cozy lunch at a former favorite- Panera. (we spent every Monday night there for a few years straight when we were leading Young Life). After filling our bellies, we hit up the mall to find some new jeans for me (I'm realizing at this point that Dustin is pretty much a saint to put up with this caliber of "dates"...I guess if you keep him well fed, he'll be pretty accommodating).

8: RedBox Movie Night
A non-food date! Imagine that! After a marathon trip to the grocery store, we decided on a whim to rent a movie and I chose Crazy Stupid Love. I thought we might have to turn it off during the first ten minutes, as Dustin's man-crush on Ryan Gosling almost grew out of control (I thought maybe they were going to go on a date!), but we ended up loving it. It may be a while before we get out to the theater again, so settling down to enjoy a movie at home, uninterrupted was a delightful little luxury for us at this point.

9: Breakfast with Santa, Stocking Shopping, and Five Guys Lunch
We already detailed our morning with the Claus, but the fun didn't stop there. I dragged Dustin to no less than three stores to find new Christmas stockings (fun date right?!), and we picked up a few gifts for family. By the time lunch rolled around it had already been a pretty long day, so we were thankful for the break to sit for a bit, shell some peanuts, and indulge in some deliciously greasy burgers. Our little peanut didn't seem to mind the pit stop either.


10. The Company Holiday Party
Ok folks, this one is the real deal. A full night out- just us, no baby. There were drinks (alcoholic ones even!), food and yes...dancing. It doesn't get date-ier than that. It was our first time leaving Piper with someone other than my mom, and the very first time someone else would attempt to feed her. We were really worried we wouldn't both be able to go, and had planned an elaborate trade off scheme, where Dustin would go early, and I would stop by later and hand Piper off to him. But as much as we wanted to party with our coworkers, we really wanted to have a night together, so thankfully, our friend Rachel offered to watch Piper and give us a chance to celebrate as a duo. I think I was supposed to be nervous about my daughter's first night with a sitter, but I was so excited for a night "on the town" that I dropped her off and didn't look back. (I mean, I was only going to be gone for a couple of hours, and Rachel has three kids...Piper's actually better off in her hands anyway!) It ended up being a totally awesome night. I got to catch up with a ton of my coworkers, eat a bunch of previously off-limits foods (pregnancy no-no's like soft cheese and fancy meats) and I even indulged in two- TWO!- alcoholic drinks. In typical Bowden fashion, Dustin and I danced until our feet fell off (ok, until my feet fell off- I had heels on! I'm telling you, this was a big night out) and really just had a blast. I did feel a little like Cinderella though, as I had to cut the night a bit shorter than I would have liked. Rather than turning into a pumpkin at midnight, I turned back into a mom around 9:30. I had to retrieve my daughter, and wrap the night up by pumping milk and washing bottles. But oh, was it glorious while it lasted. (Did I mention Dustin wore a tie? We really went all out here...)


11. Saladworks
At this point it was a few days after Christmas, so we were getting down to the wire on the twelve date timeline. And this one is a reeeeeeal reach as far as dates go. I encouraged Dustin to get out of the house to grab salads not really because I wanted to go on a date, but mostly because I had reached my limit on ham. The two of us were so tired from all the holiday festivities and traveling, that we barely talked. But we shared our salads. So it counts. Small victories, people. (and in my defense, we had actually planned a pretty elaborate date for our last day in Philly, but bailed to spend more time with family and friends instead. Although I'm not sure anyone would have protested too much had we gone on our date and left the baby with them. After all, things are pretty much all about her these days.)

12. Red Robin
I'm not going to lie, in some ways this last date was pretty much the equivalent of a concluding paragraph in a high-school essay: A bit of filler just to meet the required word count. It was the Monday after New Year's, and Dustin's last day off of work. We had a great week and a half off together, and I was dreading him going back, so I was in a bit of a funk all day. I was stressed about doing something fun. In my mind, we HAD to do something fun, or else the whole vacation was ruined. RUINED! But the feeling of the "countdown" was ironically ruining my motivation, so as much as I felt the pressure to live it up, I didn't actually want to do anything. I was creating a no-win situation for myself, feeling like a failure if we didn't complete our official twelve dates, but acting so cranky that I have no idea why Dustin would want to go on a date with me anyway. And if that wasn't enough, I was so frustrated with Piper that day, her schedule was all out of whack, and it seemed impossible for us to even leave the house, so I was moping around feeling sorry for poor old "about to be by myself with the baby again, and we didn't even complete our dates, lame-o" me. But Dustin knows my heart, and saw through all the junk that I had barely even gotten to verbalize, and offered to take me out to lunch. I fed Piper, and we each got the shortest showers ever to maximize our "free-time" window while she napped. We opted for an old favorite- Red Robin, and with our moods significantly improved, we attempted to keep the conversation as "us" centered as possible. We chatted about exercise goals, our new small group study, and work concerns. It wasn't a monumental day for any reason, but we managed to prioritize spending time together in a simple, but special way.

Squeezing in twelve dates in just over a month required a bit of planning and some creativity, but I'm happy we did it. Like so many things, we can occasionally luck into our goals, but it's important to me to put the time and effort into living deliberately. We're still settling into to what it means to be mom and dad, and it's far too easy to forget that we are still husband and wife. So while I don't think it's reasonable for us to go on several dates each week all the time (to be honest, we'll be lucky if we get that opportunity several times a month) focusing special attention on each other, and prioritizing our relationship is definitely something I want to make not only a tradition, but a habit.

Twelve Dates of Christmas

Are you ready for December's resolution?

For our new tradition, Dustin and I will be going on 12 Dates of Christmas!

I saw this on another blog and I love the idea. The details are pretty much wide open, but my goal is for Dustin and me to set aside time to spend together during the holiday season (Thanksgiving to New Years). Life has been a little nuts around here, and it's easy for Miss Piper to take over all of our time (and conversations, and energy, and money, and...) I thought it would be good for us to make an effort to keep some of the romance, spontaneity, and simple fun from our pre-Piper days. Sure, the little bug will have to tag along with us most of the time, and sometimes our dates won't actually involve going anywhere, but I'm still looking forward to having some special time with Dustin in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the season.

So far we've logged at least 5 dates, if you count casual lunches, fast food dinners, and one baby-free trip to the grocery store (I argue that in the early days with an infant, these things count). I'm hoping that as we get a bit more comfortable carting the little one around (or *gasp* leaving her with someone else!), our dates will get a bit more ambitious. We've got a few fun things planned- a trip to the Strip District, a night out for sushi, and maybe even a holiday party or two. It doesn't really matter what we do, it's just about being intentional, being present, and being together.

I think it'll be a good for us to end each year with an extra special focus on our relationship. Because as much as we love our little girl, we want our marriage to be the foundation of our family, and are committed to making the effort to put each other first. As the years progress, I know our holidays will continue to be filled with traveling, and presents, and crafts, and pageants, and cookies: all the fun and festive trappings of traditional Christmases. But the first, and most important of our family traditions will be to love each other.
Times twelve.

Times infinity.